Summit Agenda
Join this year’s gathering of the industry’s most powerful MBE manufacturers, innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs, designed to connect you with the individuals who are shaping and transforming the industry.
SUNDAY, AUG. 13
The Commerce Club
MONDAY, AUG. 14
Georgia Tech Global Learning Center
Registration, Networking Breakfast, Poster Walk featuring MBE Manufacturers
Place your company in front of a national audience by participating in our annual Poster Walk competition.
Summit Kickoff & Welcome Remarks
David Bridges, Vice President, Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Vice President for Innovation, Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV), Principal Faculty Member, Research and Extension
Donna M. Ennis, C.P.F., Director, Diversity Engagement and Program Development; Co-Director, Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Corridor (Georgia AIM); and Operator Representative, Georgia MBDA Business Center
Jennifer Pasley, Project Director, Georgia MBDA Business Center
View Speaker BiosOpening Remarks
Donald R. Cravins, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).
View Speaker BiosKeynote: The New Collar Worker
Denise (Rice) Hall, President & CEO of Peak Performance, Inc., and Operator of the Smart Factory Institute
Hear from keynote speaker Denise Hall as she breaks down the The New Collar Worker and the impact on manufacturing today and tomorrow.
The industry-changing impacts of Industry 4.0 advancements can only be fully realized when there are corresponding changes in the manufacturing workforce. In general, these impacts are likely to be seen and experienced in terms of changes to the design of manufacturing work, the manufacturing worker experience, critical worker knowledge, skill, ability, competency requirements, and numerous other talent management considerations involving talent acquisition, retention, and training/development needs. The positive impacts of Industry 4.0 technologies on manufacturing will only be realized if the existing workforce can be reskilled and retained, the size and training of the emergent workforce is tuned to meet the new demands, and manufacturing rebrands itself to attract and retain the transitional worker.
Fireside Chat: Solutions to Workforce Disruptions in Manufacturing
Speaker: Latesa K. Bailey, J.D., M.B.A., Senior Manager and Head of Department for Human Resources, Kia Georgia, Inc.
Speaker: Philip Paradice, Director, SE Regional Office, Economic Development Administration
Moderator: Donna M. Ennis, C.P.F., Director, Diversity Engagement and Program Development; Co-Director, Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Corridor (Georgia AIM); and Operator Representative, Georgia MBDA Business Center
Bring your manufacturing workforce questions and participate in a timely and relevant discussion around workforce solutions at our Fireside Chat, Solutions to Workforce Disruptions in Manufacturing. Engage with presenters at the forefront of workforce development for the future and discuss workforce challenges in the manufacturing industry and potential solutions for you and your business, including:
- Build Back Better Regional Projects
- Good Jobs Challenges
- Regional Tech Innovation Hubs
- Build to Scale
- and more!
Break, Poster Walk featuring MBE Manufacturers
Place your company in front of a national audience by participating in our annual Poster Walk competition.
Panel Session: Building Your Workforce with Innovative Workforce Approaches
Workforce is the most challenging area for manufacturers and other industries today. This session will examine different and unique approaches to recruiting, training, and retaining a workforce for manufacturing. Panelists will discuss engaging low wealth communities and formerly incarcerated individuals for successful employment, utilizing immersive technologies to transform the workplace, and workforce challenges and solutions in general.
Moderator: Patric H. Stadtfeld Vice President and Head of Supply Chain Management, USA & Americas Siemens Corporation
Panelist: Steven Ferguson, Chief Information Officer, Technical College System of Georgia
Panelist: Sheila Jordan, CEO, Knowledge Architects
Panelist: Regan Brewer-Johnson, President, Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC)
Panelist: Marcus Sheanshang, President & CEO, JBM Packaging
View Speaker BiosDOE Snapshot: Deploying Resources to Strengthen, Transition, Scale, and Grow the Manufacturing Industrial Supply Chain
Learn about the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chain’s programs and funding opportunities to support your manufacturing business in transitioning and growing within the clean energy sector.
Speaker: Robert Sozanski, Supply Chain Deployment Manager in the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains at the U.S. Department of Energy
View Speaker BiosFast Pitch One-on-One Meetings
The most popular offering of the Summit, Fast Pitch offers you the opportunity to engage with major corporations, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and suppliers in the Fortune 1000 space and beyond. Participants will have 15 minutes to meet with companies and pitch their products and services.
5:00 pm — Adjourn
TUESDAY, AUG. 15
Manufacturing Tours
Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners
AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AIMPF) at Georgia Tech
We saved the best for last! The Manufacturing Tour was created in 2018 to highlight ways to implement innovation in the daily manufacturing process. You’ll get a first-hand, on-the-ground look at the cutting-edge technologies and ideas from our tour participants Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners and the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AIMPF) at Georgia Tech.
